How to survive the Black Friday mobs and hostility

Black Friday is only a couple days away and police have some advice so you can enjoy it rather than spend part of it in a prison cell.

Brick Police Chief James Riccio says they'll have added patrols in cars and on foot across the township making sure everyone is on their best behavior and that residents feel safe.

"We increase our patrols in those areas where the retail establishments are and add foot patrols," Riccio said. "There are two man foot patrols who walk in and out of the stores and in thru the parking lots and interact with the shoppers. If bad guys see police walking around we hope that deters crime."

If there's a limited edition toy being released for the first time or a store has a major sale going on, he suggests getting there early, if not then move on.

"If it's something that they really think that they need, then get there early," Riccio said. "Everybody just needs to be courteous, I understand they want that great deal but is it really worth it is what they have to think about. Is it really worth getting into some type of altercation or possibly getting arrested? We just hope that people will be courteous to one another and avoid those type of confrontations."

If you see something while you're out shopping, whether it be a fight, someone stealing items off the shelves or another crime and you've got your smart phone camera rolling, Barnegat Police Chief Keith Germain says that's the time to immediately call the police.

"If it's enough for them to even consider calling us, then it's worth calling us," Germain said. "We can't solve problems that we don't know about and if something does become a serious issue we certainly want to get there as quickly as we can."

Germain also suggests that when you do go out shopping, park in well lit areas and never leave merchandise for prying eyes to see in the back of your car.

If you plan on going out to do some black Friday shopping in a couple days, police want to make sure you're doing so safely.

Barnegat Police Chief Keith Germain suggests parking in well lit ares, using the buddy system and not shopping alone.

"(They) should be parking in well lit areas at night, shop with someone else so you're not alone in the middle of the night walking back to the car, don't leave merchandise in full view in the back seat of your car where somebody may decide they want to break a window and help themselves to those goods," Germain said.

For any shopper who witnesses a fight break out or another crime being committed, Germain urges you to call police immediately.